The Bible has a startling warning for the people of this generation: The things the world says are important are going to be dissolved in a blink, consumed by the fire of God.
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
(2 Peter 3:11-12)
Considering that, shouldn’t we be living a life separated unto God? Living for God? Walking with God?
Now, it is not coincidence that the Holy Spirit said the “day of the Lord” in verse 10 and the “day of God” in verse 12. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords; His “day” represents the 1000 years of His reign upon this earth.
God is eternal, and with Him there is no time. So the day of God is speaking of the beginning of the eternal state.
Our Lives Affect the Timing of His Return
We find a remarkable truth in this passage. We are encouraged to be looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. In other words, our attitudes and lives have an effect on the return of the Lord!
The hungrier you are for this present age to end and for the millennial reign of Jesus to begin, the quicker these things will come to pass. You see, it is one of the elements having to do with the “fullness of time” which must arrive before the end-times begin.
The Greek word translated looking in this passage literally means an earnest anticipation and expectation. God wants you to have a great anticipation of the eternal state – the day of God. He wants you to be mindful of and motivated by an understanding of your eternal destiny.
The Word says this life here is but a blink of an eye in time – nothing but a vapor. There is an eternity beyond the veil of death awaiting each one of us. The difficulty is that we do not have enough of an understanding of our true eternal destiny to be eagerly anticipating and looking for that day.
The truth is, you will be ruling and reigning with Jesus for an eternity – and not over just a few square feet of terra firma either, but over the vastness of a universe yet to be explored. And we get to explore it!
We get to explore galaxies by the billions, each galaxy containing millions of suns and planetary bodies. Who knows how many other kinds of life are present in this universe?
People ask me all the time, “Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?”
They’re often surprised when I answer, “Of course I do; the Bible teaches it.” It mentions winged creatures and four-headed beasts, not to mention the angelic hosts. They are out there, and God says He needs us to rule and reign with Him over the vastness of this creation for eons to come.
It is going to put science fiction movies to shame.
I’m Talking About Your Eternal Destiny
I am not saying this just to be sensational. This is what the Word of God says. We just need to let our minds and expectations move beyond the parameters of rigid religious tradition.
You have an eternal destiny awaiting you that is so magnificent in its scope that it is impossible to embrace right now. But we get glimpses of it in the Word.
This destiny is going to be determined by the way we live our lives now. This life is but a blink of an eye, yet it determines our experience of eternity.
Make sure you remain “hungry” and continue to look for the coming of the day of the Lord.
The Last Millenium by Mac Hammond
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Mac and Lynne Hammond are senior pastors of Living Word in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, which they started in 1980. Many outreaches and ministries have launched from Living Word since that time, including Maranatha Christian Academy, a Pre-K through grade 12 school with nearly 900 in attendance, and Living Free Recovery Services, a licensed outpatient treatment program.
Most recently, Mac and Lynne have launched a vision to plant fifty churches across the globe in the next five years. As of August 2024, nine churches have been planted in the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, and Guatemala with construction underway for seven more churches in El Salvador, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Prior to becoming a pastor, Mac was a pilot. He served in the Air Force, served two tours of duty in Southeast Asia, and was honorably discharged in 1970 with the rank of Captain. Between 1970 and 1980, Mac was involved in varying capacities in the general aviation industry, including ownership of a successful air cargo business serving the Midwestern United States. A business acquisition brought the Hammonds to Minneapolis, where they ultimately founded Living Word. Currently, Mac is the host of The Winner’s Way and The Winner’s Minute broadcasts and the author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.